


Promises

by sunaddicted



Series: Illogical Week 2019 [3]
Category: Broadchurch, Masters of Sex
Genre: Caring, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Heart-to-Heart, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Illogical Week 2019, M/M, Sick Character, Sickfic, Tenderness, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 03:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21237767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunaddicted/pseuds/sunaddicted
Summary: "Ellie is on her way"Alec groaned: he had meant real food "She's going to give me grapes!""You eat those and be nice to her and maybe I will get you decaffeinated tea and a sandwich - deal?""Can we find a compromise on the decaffeinated part of the tea?""No"[...]





	Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Illogical Week, Day Three 
> 
> Prompt: Emergency

_Promises_

Bill had never been more aware of the fact that he was just a gynecologist as in the moment when Alec had been rushed to the hospital, in dire need of a cardiologist to look him over. Of course he had known about Alec's heart issues, what medication he had taken before the operation and what he took now, but Bill had never prodded his partner for details; it was something Alec didn't like to discuss or even think about and Bill had respected that. 

He didn't regret it either, really: his partner's comfort had been very important to him from the very start, having learned from the mistakes he had done with Libby - no, what he regretted was that he hadn't been able to do more than stabilize his lover as best as he could and drive him to hospital.

Frankly, it had been terrifying.

"Oh, come on. Stop that"

Bill scowled down at Alec, looking so small and fragile amidst the sheets; his partner often was tired but he had never seen such dark circles around his eyes "Alec, it was an emergency"

"And it's been solved"

How could he be so... nonchalant about his health? Bill didn't get it - it made absolutely no sense to him: Alec had so many things to live for, so many people who cherished him and who counted on him... didn't he know how destroyed he would be if he died? What about Daisy? Ellie? Bill didn't want to have to scold Alec, especially not while he lay in a hospital bed, but it was clear that he needed to have a serious talk with the man - to make him understand that he couldn't be so reckless.

Bill pursed his lips and said nothing, deciding to stand up and get Alec a glass of water instead of arguing with him "Straw?"

"Fuck, no"

Yes, he should have imagined such an answer - sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to ask certain questions "Here you go" he murmured as he put the glass in his partner's hand so that he would have an excuse to help him sit up - thankfully Alec didn't put up a fuss about it, even leaning against the arm he had sneaked around his lower back. 

Small mercies. 

"Thank you"

"Don't mention it"

"I meant for everything" Alec clarified after he had wetted his lips with a sip; despite how parched he felt, the water only made the unpleasant taste in his mouth seem stronger and never in his life he had wished so ardently for a toothbrush - or a chewing gum, at least "I didn't mean to scare you"

"Well, that's comforting" the answer came bitchier than Bill would have liked it to but he couldn't help it: nastiness was his strongest defence mechanism - it wasn't a very excuse either, no matter how true it was "Apologies"

Alec sighed and nudged the other's hand with the glass in a silent request to take it away so that he could close his fingers around the other's, squeeze them in comfort and reassurance "Don't" while he didn't particularly like being fussed over or bitched at, Alec could understand where Bill was coming from: just thinking about the situation being the other way around was enough to make him feel sick to the stomach "I'm sorry. Really am"

"I know"

"I thought I had been taking care of myself well" he admitted, a little sheepish.

Bill snorted, rolling his eyes as he turned his hand so that he could entwine their fingers together "If that's taking care of yourself well, I shudder to imagine what it looked like before the operation"

"Yeah, let's leave that stone unturned" Alec immediately quipped - there was no need to make the other man fret about things he couldn't have changed anyway "The doctor talked to me, gave me some followup appointments, bed rest and told me what I've been doing wrong" a lot, it had turned out.

"And are you going to do anything of all that?"

Had it been just himself like some years before, Alec would have probably lied to whoever had asked that question and proceeded to do whatever he wanted, no matter how self-destructive - but now he had Bill, Daisy, Miller. Not a lot of people, for sure, but numbers weren't important: they were the best people he could have wanted in his life and the least he could do was to try and take care of himself "I will. Maybe I'll need a reminder from time to time, but I will"

"Giving me permission to nag you?"

"Within reason, but yeah" had he known how brightly Bill would have smiled at that concession, perhaps Alec would have made it a lot sooner and most probably would have avoided that blasted trip to the hospital.

"Thank you" Bill squeezed the other's hand harder as he bent down to kiss his forehead, not caring one bit about how clammy his skin was "I hate seeing you like this"

"Believe me, I don't like it either"

"I love you, you impossible man"

"Not so impossible: you put up with me"

"And I intend doing so for a very long time" sarcasm was great to uplift the mood but Bill needed Alec to know that he was bloody serious: he loved the other man too much to even start thinking about a future without him "Understood?"

Alec nodded, looking into his lover's eyes to try and communicate that he really had meant every single word he had said - that he wasn't playing Bill for a fool "Yes. Can I have some food?"

"Ellie is on her way"

Alec groaned: he had meant real food "She's going to give me grapes!"

"You eat those and be nice to her and maybe I will get you decaffeinated tea and a sandwich - deal?"

"Can we find a compromise on the decaffeinated part of the tea?"

"No" Bill kissed his forehead again, grinning against the frown forming there as Alec let out a frustrated noise of displeasure "Now rest"


End file.
